Pawsabilities
by lumosalexnox
Summary: Two cats, both alike in dignity, prowl fair Hogwarts, where we lay our scene... Nic and Orion are not in each other's orbit. She's close to the sun; he prefers the moon. She's a Black and he's a Hufflepuff. Their only common factors: being half-bloods, and feline familiars. But they're too busy to watch their cats, Patches and Sly...and they're about to unravel the proverbial yarn.


**AN: Greetings! This chapter occurs in the middle of the larger work. I'm publishing it now to get a beat on its reception and for housekeeping reasons. Everything will be explained in time, I have much more planned for Nic and Orion. This will be an OC-centric fic, but will remain strongly tied to post-war canon.**

 **Thanks for your patience...**

 **lanox**

Patches the cat was quite adept at vanishing.

She was a very gifted cat, but as a wizard's familiar, this was no surprise. Regrettably for various small things and treats in the castle, she was quite sneaky, and disarmingly friendly, in the way of a spider waving hello before it shoots webbing at a fly. Patches had three modes: sneaking, sleeping, and lazing. She went through them so quickly and on such an erratic cycle that her poor owner could barely keep up.

Said owner was currently poring over his Advanced Transfiguration textbook, as well as multiple Muggle physics books. Hogwarts had advanced in the twenty years since the war, but not enough to adopt the ideologies of Muggle science. For his sixth-year midterm project, Orion had decided to study the potential relationships between physics and Transfiguration. Being a half-blood meant he'd received schooling from both worlds, and he wholeheartedly believed that science and magic were interconnected. Not all wizards are scientists, and not all scientists are wizards, but they sure had a lot to offer each other. If the Wizarding World ever adopted an American attitude toward Muggles, Rion was sure he'd receive the magical equivalent of the Nobel Prize for achievements in Magical Science. He could do so much in the world…

If he ever figured out this damn equation!

He slammed his head against his book and Patches chirped angrily from the patch of early evening sunlight on the table. He didn't need to understand the intricacies of Cat to get the message: _stop that._ He knew she was concerned, but from her arched look, the first priority was clearly her sunlight - which he was obviously interrupting. In a fit of frustration he stood sharply, sending his chair tumbling over, and paced angrily, yanking his fingers through his hair. Patches gave him another look that reminded him far too much of his mother. "Okay, fine, you're right, you're right. Let's go take a damn hike or something." After charming his workspace to remain uninterrupted, he held out his arms. Patches leapt into them and curled around his neck like a scarf, her tail brushing against his left temple.

Rion wandered the corridors absentmindedly. He loved the library, but he needed a break - according to his cat, anyway. He could eat, but the Great Hall was way too far of a walk to be worth it. If he went back to the common room, he'd fall asleep. So… where to go?

He meandered up a staircase and was headed down the seventh floor corridor when he heard a faint voice. " _Alohomora!_ Bugger!"

Curiosity piqued, he traveled in the direction of the voice, which was steadily becoming both louder and more frustrated. " _Bombarda!"_ An explosion sounded, but there was no rumble of aftermath. "What the hell?" He muttered, and turned a corner.

In front of him was a very angry witch. Her hair was loose; he watched as she roughly tossed it over her shoulder and brandished her wand anew at the stone wall. The red trim on her robes supported his initial guess at witnessing her temper - Gryffindor, of course she'd be trying to blast the damn wall down. Ordinarily, he'd be questioning her by now, but he was mesmerized by the length of golden brown that draped down her back. It was the largest pile of hair he'd ever seen, which was saying something considering that Patches shed more in the springtime than the Whomping Willow in autumn. The side of her face was taut with anger.

Cautiously, he approached, gripping his wand in the sleeve of his robes. "Um, what are you doing?"

"What?" The witch pushed stray hair out of her eyes and turned to fully face him.

"What are you doing to the wall?"

"Oh," she groaned and rolled her sleeves up, "my bloody cat got himself locked in this blasted room, and I can't open the door to let him out!"

Rion peered at the wall in question. It looked exactly like the rest of the school – rough grey stone that belied its age. Had she taken some sort of potion? "I hate to break it to you, but uh, there's no door."

"Yes there is, are you blind?" She snapped. "Look!" She gestured with her wand at the wall, and he tensed as he moved his eyes over.

He blinked, and suddenly there was indeed a wooden door with cast-iron detailing. "What the hell? How did you do that?"

"I...suppose I wanted you to be able to see the door, so now you can," she explained, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I know how to work the bloody Room," she muttered, pacing back and forth, "so why can't I get my cat?"

"Maybe the cat doesn't want to come out," he suggested, barely restraining a snort. Who let their familiar get locked in a closet? Also, was this the fabled Room of Requirement he'd heard so much about from his mother?

The witch whirled on him. "You think this is funny?! I'd like to see _your_ familiar locked in a _room you can't open_ and see how you fare then!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Rion lifted his hands in defense. Patches took the opportunity to slide down his arm and leapt to the floor. She trod over to the door and pressed her nose against a panel. To their shock, a catflap appeared. Patches disappeared inside, her tail held high. He raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the witch. Her expression was incredulous, and he felt a prickle of pride.

"She's giving us the damn finger," the Gryffindor grumbled, and he burst out laughing. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the door. If it were a human, he reckoned, it would be cowering back. He certainly would be.

"Give. Me. My. Familiar," she ordered, voice stony.

The door creaked, as if taunting her, but she kept glaring at it, and slowly it opened. "Thank GOD! Sly, you absolute _dimwit!_ " She rushed to what he swore was a red panda and gathered it in her arms; Patches wandered over to twine around his ankles. "You are _so_ not getting any treats tonight. _Merlin_ , I've spent an hour looking for you! I still have homework!" But despite her tone, she swaddled the animal in her robes and buried her face in its fur.

As they left the doorway, arms full of cat, Rion couldn't help himself. "Is that a panda?"

"Uh, it's a cross, actually. Magical cross, half red panda and half cat. No idea how they did it." She cuddled it closer to her chest, red fur blending right in with her robes. "Calico cat?" She tilted her head toward his familiar.

"Yeah, but she's very gifted. This is Patches." Rion smiled a little as he looked down at his beloved pet. She brushed her tail against his forehead, making him crinkle his nose and stumble on a step.

For the first time, she cracked a smile. "That's adorable. This is Sly." She nuzzled her nose into the - canda, he decided - canda's head. He meowed at her, and she knelt to the floor, digging in the pocket of her robes. Rion was nothing short of amazed when she pulled out a leash and collar, and attached both to Sly. She wound the end around her wrist and let him roam free.

"Why not just do it with magic?" Rion asked, following the witch and the cat down another staircase. It began to shift, stilling all four of them.

She turned to him again, one hand on the rail and the other curled around Sly, who'd had a fright at the movement and sprung into her empty arm. "The spell for the leash makes him mad, because I can decide which direction he goes. He doesn't like being leashed, but he tolerates this because it's mostly Muggle. It's magically reinforced, but he controls where he goes."

"And –" he could not believe he'd gotten this far without asking this – "who are you?"

"Me? I'm Nicola. What's your name?"

"Saros, Orion Alma Saros, but my friends call me Rion."

"What a name." Her eyes danced. "I'd shake your hand, but mine're full of cat. So you're a Ravenclaw?"

"Sixth year, half-blood. I'm a Magical Sciences major." Purebloods often looked confused when he said this, so judging by her expression, she was at least half-blood.

"That's really cool!" She exclaimed, all iciness gone. "I'm the same - blood and year, I mean, and I also happen to be hungry. Have you eaten?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach answered for him. Patches _mrrp'd_ in condescension and kneaded his arm. "Was that necessary?" He scolded, and then looked up, a bit of color in his face. "No – I kind of got distracted by you trying to blow up the seventh floor."

Nicola glared at him as she turned a corner, hair and robes swirling. Orion's laughter followed her as she stomped into the nearly empty Great Hall and took a seat at the Gryffindor table. Sly hopped up beside her, eyes pleading for food. "You don't deserve it," she said sternly, and the panda-cat's ears drooped in sorrow. He sat across from her and watched it lay down and proceed to sulk, small snout in her lap.

"So," he started, looking for something to say, "you said you're a half-blood?" While he waited for her to finish chewing, he served himself some chicken and potatoes, and put a plate for Patches on the bench.

"Yeah, my mom's a witch, but she hasn't practiced in years. My dad's a professor of Muggle poli sci." Underneath the acquired British polish, her accent was distinctly American, a trait he found endearing.

"Did she go to Hogwarts? Patches, no!" But it was too late – the calico had already taken pity on the canda, and had batted some chicken onto the floor. Sly followed it before she could move and wolfed it down, ears perked in satisfaction.

"Oh, Agrippa… fine, you win this round, you incorrigible fuzzball." Nicola put a plate on the bench, the same as Rion had done, and turned back to him. "At one time, yes. She traveled a lot. Yours?"

"She was a Hufflepuff," Orion began, feeding his cat another piece of meat. "She was a Prefect, Captain of the Gobstones team, and she played rec Quidditch."

"Wow," Nicola murmured. "Your mom sounds awesome." His expression was bittersweet as he pushed away his empty plate and reached for a cookie. "What about your dad?"

"Dad teaches high school. One of my brothers is a Squib, so he looks after him."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "My brother's kind of a goof. He's a half-blood drummer, so all the girls think he's pretty cool." She rolled her eyes. "So, you said you're a Mag Sci major?"

"Yeah, I study physics and Transfiguration. I'm trying to break or prove at least one Muggle rule of physics." She smirked at that. "What about you?"

She bit her lip. "I haven't picked a focus yet."

"Weren't you supposed to do that after OWLS?"

"Yeah, but I just have an interest in so many things… I can't pick one thing to focus on," she confessed. "My favorites are Transfiguration, Charms, Runes, and DA."

"What about being an Auror?"

Nicola glanced at her watch, a silver face with a colorful band, and stood, Sly nimbly jumping to the floor. "I'm not sure that's something I want to do full-time. And it's getting late."

"Oh." He stood quickly. "Let's go then, don't want to be caught after curfew. Ravenclaw's not far from Gryffindor, I'll walk you?"

This earned him a rare smile. "Okay." He whistled for Patches, and the four of them began the long hike up the stairs.

"So if not an Auror, do you have any ideas on what you want to do?"

"Er, well, maybe a translator, or some of specialist…" she trailed off. "I really don't know." She changed the subject abruptly. "So, why physics?"

"Because I love math," he explained. "Number theory is just so interesting, and then when you think about Transfiguration and how it either obeys or defies Muggle science…it's just really cool. Sorry I'm a nerd," he finished in a rush.

"No, it's okay." Was that a giggle? She didn't seem the giggle type. "It's very cute."

"Cute as he may be, our caretaker is not!" A woman shouted from down the hall. They looked up to see the Fat Lady staring down at them disapprovingly as they approached. "You hurry up and get inside, now! Password?"

"Gillyweed," she said to the portrait, and turned to face him as it swung inward. "Erm, sorry to cut this short…maybe I'll see you around? I suppose you spend a lot of time in the library?"

"Loads," he groaned. "You have no idea."

"Alright, well… it was nice meeting you, Orion. Thanks for walking me back. Bye, Patches." She wiggled her fingers at the cat. To his surprise, Patches pawed at the air, and Sly's tail waved lazily at them. "Come on, you furball." Her voice grew fainter as she disappeared into Gryffindor Tower, leaving Orion alone with his thoughts.


End file.
